Mail-delivering apparatus.



4PA'TENTED OCT. 30, 1906..

w. H. HALBY. MAIL DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 8, 1908.

a SHEETS- SHEET 1.

A TTQRNE Ys rATBNTED 00T. so, 1906.`

-is distributed To all whom it may concern:

. UNITED sTATEs ,PATENT OFFICE'.

WILLIAM H'. vHALEY, IOF FLOYD, IOWA. MAIL-DELivi-:mNG APPARATUS. i

No. salines.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented O ct. 30, 1906.

-pplication filed August 8. 1906. Serial No. 329,765.

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. HALEY, a citizen. of the .United States, residing at Floyd, in the Vcount of Floyd v,and State of Iowa, have invente a new and useful Mail- Deliverin Apparatus, of which thefollowing is a'spec' cation. E

This invention relates to a mail delivering andcollecting s stem intended particularly for use in ruralee-delivery districts; and 1t relates speciallfy` to .a system by'. which mail .om a central point or postoflice to outlying districts by self-propelled carriages set mto o eration by the postmaster andrby which t 'e mail is collected from such districts by being deposited in the carriages by the residents along the route and 'the carrlages automatically. returned afterA a delivery has been made. l

i The invention has for one Yof its objects to impove and simplify the construction and operation of systems' of this character, so that the mail-carriages can be sent out over a route and'automatically stopped at predetermined residences.

.A further object of the invention is to provide a novel form of self-propelled carriage andl a trap or cable along which the carriage travels, so that the system will be reliable and efficient in operation.

`With these objects in `View andothers, as will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the invention comprises the various. novel features of 4cr'mstruction and arrangement of parts, which will be morefully escribed hereinafter and set forth with' particularity in the claims appendedhereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one of the embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of'one route of a delivery and collecting system, portions of the line beingbroken aWay.

Fig. 2 1s a side elevation of a self-propelled carriage sh`own adjacent one of the posts supportin the cable on which the carriage travels an the trolley-lines that supply the cur- 'rent to the motor. Fig. 3v is a front View thereof. Figs. '4 and 5 are plan views of two lforms of han ersfor the cable or line.

Correspon ing parts in the several figures are indicated throughout by similar characters of reference. y l

1n carrying out the invention a complete collectingand delivery` system comprises a'.

central station, suchv as a -post-oica-and a 4 tion of the'wire or cable, so that the drivingyplurality of independent routes radiating therefrom by whi the incoming mail is distributed to the various residences and the outgoing mail collected. At the. ost-office ra suitable source of electromotive orce will' be maintained to supply the motors with which the carriages arel equipped. The several routes are ractically the same in character, so that it as been deemed suflicient for'an understanding of the invention to illustrate and describe one of them in detail.

-Referrin to the drawings, 1 designates a lurality o postsy planted along a4 roadway, or instance, and su portingla sin le aerial cable or line 2,-such me being bro en away at 'places to indicate that it may be of any suitable length between the posts. The cable Z is supported on the osts by means of hangers 43, that are preferably each constructed of ,a late of metal 4, bent at one end in the form o a bracket for suitably securing it to the post. The outer end of the bracket is provided with a plurality of slits, so as to lform fingers 5, as more clearly shown inFigs.

4 and 5, that are adapted to be alternately bent around the top and bottom of the cable. These fingers, as shown in Fig. 2, are shaped to conform closely to the circular cross-secwheels of'the carriage -can freely pass over the iingerswithout lnterru tion. In order that the cable may follow c osely the line of' theroad, special forms ofy hangers are necessary where angles occur in the cable, as shown Where the cable makes an obtuse angle, as shown in Fig. 4, the outer edge of the hander '4 is madev convex, and where the cable ma es an acute angle the outer edge of the hanger is made concave., as shown in Fig. 5. At osts where the cable asses in a' straight line the outer ed e of t e hanger where the finoers are forme will be, ofcourse, straight. bove the hangers Bthe posts are each provided with an arm 6, extending in the same direction as the hanger, for supporting separate trolley-lines-7 and 8, suita e in sulating devices being employed for suspending the trolley-wires from the arms, as will be readily understood. At any suitable point on each post, preferably between the hanger 3 and ar'm 6, is secureda stop 9, projecting in vTOO Athe general direction of the hanger.- These 9 at the third-and fourth posts in Fig. 1.

IOv

the first' residence is relatively long and that f on the carriage which travels to the terminal residence is comparatively short, so as not to interfere with t e stops at any-of the residences except the last, andthe arms on'the carriages intended for the intermediate residenoes aie ol successively increasing length, Il

beginning with that nearest to the station or post-ollioe. 4lt will thusbe seen that the several oilice in a regular order, the carriage for the terminal residence being sent out first andthat for the nearest residence being sent out ast.

Each mail-carriage comprises a supportingframe 10, having grooved wheels 11 arranged one above and the other below and in engagement with the cable 2. The ournals 12 of the Wheels are cushioned by springs 18, the sprin s being under a tension for hoI thev Whee s in engagement with thecable. By means of thesev springs lthewheels can move toward' or from each other, so as to accom- 1ly pass over the fin ers 5 ofv the hangers. Suspended from the ame 10 is a mail-box 14, that is hung by means of two shaped arms 15, pivoted on the box an vided with eyes 16, which engage a hoo `17 on the lower; end of the carriage-frame. By `this arrangement the mail-box can. beunhooked, romthe carriage for taking out or` depositing the mail.V

Anysuitable motor mechanism maybe employed for propelling the carriage. According to one method each carriage is provided with an electric motor18, mounted at the -uplper end of the frame 10, and one or both W e els 11 may be driven therefrom byA fin means of belts 19 and pulleys20, the latter beingmounted on the shafts of the motor and driving-wheels. 11. The motor Iis provided with suitable collecting devices 21 of the'underrun type which travel along the trolle -wires 7 and 8 to receive the current there om; The motor will bel preferably so Wound that the armature and field circuits will be independent. By this arran ement the postmaster can by suitable control ingde-l vices producesuh combinations of circuits as to cause the motor to carry the mail out from the post-ofiicefand by other combinations reverse the; motor for bringing the carriages back Whenvthe collection is to be taken.

Beginning with'` carriages are sent out from the post-l -of the invention, toget -derstood thatthe .ity oi For instance, vby sending the current out through the Wires 7 and '8 in the same direc-g. tion and using-the cable 2 as the return for the current the motors of the carriages will rotate in such a way as to deliver the mailto the residences along the route. 'Then when it'is desired to bring the carriages back the circuits can be so controlled that the current will pass ,from 'the ost-office out through either one of the two es 7 and Sand return b means of the cable 2 and the other one of t e two trolley-wires. By this method the direction of -rotation ofthe motors can be readily controlled te reduce the.proper directlon of travel. Vpllhile this specific ararrangements and combinations moy be omplgyed to accomplish the saine ends.

rom the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings the advantages ofthe construction and method of operation will be readily a preciated by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains. I'have described the rinciple of operation er with the apparatus which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof; but I desire to have'pit unapparatus'shown is merely illustrative and that various chan es may be' made when desired as are Within t e scope of' the invention. modate themselves to varying thicknesses in l the cable and to permit the carriage to read- What is claimed is* 1. In a mail' delivery and collecting system, a plurality of posts extending along the route aline strung alon the posts, a pluralcarriages adapte to travel over the line. and devices on the posts and carriages for bringin the latter to rest in a definite order, said evices comprisin stops on the osts projecting different dgistances thereom, and means on each carriage arranged to en age its respective stop.

2. In a mail delivery and collecting system, a plurality of posts extendin along a route, a line strung on the posts, and. hangers for supporting the line on the posts, each hanger comprising a plate' having 4integral gers arran ed toalternately engage on opposite sidesl o the line. f

3. The combination of a post, a line, and a hanger' for supporting the line on the post, saidv han er comprislng a late having a curved e' ge and slitl along tllie edge-to lformn'gers, said fingers being bent alternately over and under the line.

4. In a mail delivery and collecting system, aline, hangers therefor each comprising i a'member having fingers enga ing aroun the line, a carriage including w eels which' are yieldingly urged toward each other for gripping the line and permittin them to separate to pass over the fingers o the han rs, a motor associated with the carriage for riv- IOO to the motor.

, 'plane vpassing through the line at adjacent the'V stops, 'a plurality mg the Wheels, a mailarecep'tacle attached to Item,

the carriage, and means for supplying `energy and collecting sys,-4 the combination ol\ay line, stops arranged at intervals along the line and d isposed at di'er'entdistancesdrom a vertical the oints of se f-propelled carriages, and arms on Ahe carriages which arejof different lengths and arranged 5. In a mail delivery v one on each carriage-for vengaging a definite stop to arrest travel inone direction and to;

permit the carria es to return in thel opposite direction and to t e point of starting.

'Gfln a mail delivery and collecting sys- I vriages to automatically sto tive stations,l and means or supplying enz5- tem, a single line, a plurality of carriages adapted to" travel back4 and forth "betweenv a station at one end of the line and residences or stations carriages.. as thereare stations, a motor carriage, devices arranged to cause the car-v at their respecergy to the motorsto convey th the stations and for returning them.

l i In testimony thatl claim the foregoing as if my own I have hereto afxed mysignature v j in the presence of twdwitnesses. .e

WILLIAMH. I-IALEY gWitnessesz; A f l GEO: H; JACKSON;

- C. E. BRACKEN.

locatedmt different points along zo the.' line, there ,being as many l mounted on each 'I v e carriages to 

